


Heart Stealer

by orphan_account



Series: S T R A W H E A R T [6]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Slightly - Freeform, but not really., thank Luffy for that, the original female character is a brothel worker that Law ends up not sleeping with
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-03
Updated: 2017-06-03
Packaged: 2018-11-08 08:39:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11077986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Usopp says something that kick-starts events that lead to a blossom of something developing between the two allied captains.





	Heart Stealer

Luffy's snickering at Law's frown after the taller captain pushes him off, when Usopp says something that's _stupid_ , that's _wrong_ and bugs him like no meat.

"Sheesh, for a guy that can steal hearts, he sure doesn't have one."

It's offhand and Usopp can say stupid things a lot, but this is _different_.

Because Torao is _good_ —he can be bad too, but they're pirates, not heroes—and he's nice. He's got a tattoo of a heart on his chest and a weird smile on his back! But more than that, Torao wants to act cold and bad, but he's _not_. So, Usopp's being really dumb.

"Torao is good, Usopp!"

Usopp jumps like he didn't expect that, like he thought that he wasn't heard.

"I—I didn't mean—!"

Law cuts him off with a glare before meeting Luffy's gaze. "Listen to him Straw Hat, and leave me the hell alone."

Luffy stares after his ally, pouting while trying to figure out why Torao's being weird and doesn't want to be called good.

Why wouldn't Torao believe that he's good?

The young pirate captain scowls.

It probably has something to do with that stupid Mingo.

"Why'd you say that Usopp?" Luffy says, watching Usopp frown in confusion.

"Well, he doesn't really act nice, does he?"

Luffy frowns and tilts his head. "So?"

"So, I mean," Usopp struggles to explain, a hand rubbing along the back of his neck. "He saved the kids on Punk Hazard and everything, but that's _after_ you said you wouldn't leave without us." He shrugs. "So how do we know if he's really a good guy?"

Luffy knows that he could say what he wants, that _"Torao_ _is, 'cause he is."_  and tell Usopp to stop being dumb, but it still wouldn't work. His crew hasn't seen Torao the way he has, so it's not their fault for being suspicious.

Torao's not going to show them, so he will. And he'll show Torao, too.

* * *

Nami let them dock at a nearby island so that they could resupply which means that they can also go see all the cool stuff that Robin said she read about in the newspaper.

Luffy got distracted by the various food stands that advertise different seasoned meat, cotton candy, and other yummy stuff, before remembering why he kept bugging Nami to dock for—aside from adventuring a new island—and uses his haki to sense Law.

The young pirate captain finds the infamous Surgeon of Death quickly, on the other side of the small town with a lot of other people near him and what appears to be a woman running a hand up his arm.

For some reason, it aggravates Luffy and causes a knot to form in his stomach.

So what better way to make it go away than to go get Torao before he does anything with that girl?

With a grin, Luffy plants his hands on nearby buildings—ignoring a few people shouting and a little boy laughing—before letting go.

He soars through the air, spotting a really good looking restaurant below and Chopper who almost drops the book in his hooves, before crashing into the building he seen Torao in.

Some of the girls inside yell or ask if he's okay, while a few guys comment on _"What_ _the hell happened?"._

Luffy stands and brushes the windows glass off his shorts and vest, pouting at the gash bleeding on the back of his arm and dripping onto the whore houses floor, before sensing Torao approach.

"Straw Hat," Law says, and he sounds annoyed.

"Torao!" Luffy beams, before frowning after turning to see Torao with the woman still clinging to his arm.

Law's eyes dart to his bleeding arm and a frown creases the older man's features, before he steps away from the woman and approaches his bleeding ally.

"Hold up your arm," he instructs, and Luffy complies.

Around them, a few of the workers whisper _'"Is he alright?"_  and _"I_ _hope so, he_ is _cute."_

Luffy tilts his head when Law's frown deepens and his gaze becomes cold.

"You should be fine. All you need is disinfectant and a gauze. Tony-ya should be able to handle it."

Torao begins to walk back towards the girl, and Luffy's frown deepens, that knot in his stomach tightening as the girl with curly red hair and blue eyes smiles at Torao.

"However, Tony-ya's busy and I presume you were following me, right? So that makes you my problem to deal with." Law passes the woman a wad of belli that would make Nami sick.

"Keep the change."

Luffy brightens, snickering as Law falls into step beside him.

See? Torao _is_ good.

* * *

It's when they're back at Sunny and in the infirmary—Torao not bothering to look at him the whole walk back, even when he talked about all the yummy stuff he seen on the island—that Torao finally asks the question that's been causing him to frown.

"Why did you decide to follow me, Straw Hat?"

The smell of disinfectant makes Luffy's nose itch as Law gently rubs an alcohol pad over the gash which stings and then itches at the contact.

"'Cause—"

Law cuts the rubbery captain off with a glare, before shifting his gaze back to wound and continuing to fix the bandage.

"What's the real reason?"

Luffy remains quiet, curious as to why Torao isn't looking at him. Torao _never_ backs down.

A brief silence follows, minus the sound of the bandage being rolled on.

"Did Torao really like that girl?"

It's obvious—even to Luffy's usually oblivious eyes—that Law wasn't expecting it with the way he reels back, his golden eyes wide before they narrow into slits and he resumes securing the bandages.

"That's not any of your busy. Why were you following me?"

Luffy's frown deepens, wincing when the bandage tightens painfully, as if all of Torao's strength was placed in the act.

"Ow! Why are you being a jerk?!"

"Why were you following me?" Law retorts.

"'Cause I wanna prove that you're good!"

Law snorts, "Why would I care what anyone thinks, Straw Hat? Do you?"

"Only my nakama." Luffy immediately responds, before pouting. "But I'm not only trying to prove it to our nakama, I'm trying to prove it to you."

Torao's surprised again, before he smirks and spins in Chopper's spinny chair to put away the supplies in the medical cabinet.

"I'm not good, you should know that by now."

"Torao is good." Luffy insists.

For some reason, it makes Torao frown.

"You're fine now, go bug one of your nakama."

"We are nakama." the rubbery captain frowns. "Are you gonna go back and play with that girl?"

"No." Law says, filling out the chart that Chopper has to keep track of the medical supplies.

"Great! You wanna play with me?"

Torao freezes, before continuing to write.

"Go play by yourself."

Luffy pouts, kicking his legs.

"Fine."

* * *

It's night time, and he can't sleep.

He tossed and turned for a few minutes while ignoring the sick feeling in his stomach that the nightmares always bring. After laying on his back and staring at the ceiling while trying to ignore— _blood, Ace's blood_ —Luffy decided that outside with the scent of the sea would be better than that of blood and burning flesh.

When he opens the door, Law isn't resting on the deck with his sword clutched to him like usual, instead he's gazing at the sea without truly seeing anything.

As soon as Luffy's sandal make contact with the deck, Law's rigid form snaps towards the younger captain before his widened eyes narrow.

"Straw Hat."

"Torao."

Law looks away first, glancing at the sea once more but his tenseness hasn't left, only increased, as if Luffy's presence is something else to be guarded over.

Luffy ignores his ally in favor of walking towards Sunny's figurehead, uncaring of Zoro's past warnings about sitting there without one of them around to fish him out.

Torao's here, even if he can't swim either.

"Straw Hat," Torao says, his eyes narrowed while a frown graces his features. "You're survival is crucial in our fight against Doflamingo."

"You sound like Zoro." Luffy pouts.

Law's frown flickers briefly, before he forces it back into a grim line.

"Straw Hat—"

"—Sunny's my ship!"

A tense silence follows, both captain's refusing to back down before a deciding voice breaks their confrontation.

"If I may intrude, Luffy, wouldn't it be in our nakama's best interest if they all have a long chance to rest?"

Luffy's frown deepens, still refusing to break eye contact with his new ally.

"How will they do so if you fall in the freezing water below?"

Robin smiles from where she's preparing to enter the men's quarters to change shifts.

"Traffy, it's Luffy's ship which you're standing on, don't you think it's his choice?"

The man in question remains quietly frowning.

"You must trust Luffy if this alliance is to work," Robin's gaze meets their equally infamous ally's.

"Which you already well know."

Law practically bristles. "Don't order me around, Nico-ya."

Robin smiles, the twinkle in her eyes brightening at the threat. "I'm only asking you to act your age, Tra-guy."

"Robin," Luffy says, his hat shielding his eyes. "That's enough."

The infamous Devil Child merely stares, before offering another false smile.

"As you say, Luffy."

Once the two pirate captain's are left alone, silence reigns until the youngest addresses the unspoken question.

"Why's Torao up?" Luffy asks curiously, sitting cross-legged in the middle of the deck. "Is it 'cause he's being stupid about Mingo again?"

"Doflamingo isn't someone to be taken lightly, Straw Hat." Law says, that same cold expression flitted across his features from earlier. "This is serious, not child's play."

Luffy's gaze hardens. "I know that this isn't like before; just 'cause you're scared doesn't mean that you can talk to me like that, Torao. This is my ship and crew, I wouldn't put them in danger for just anybody."

Law sighs tiredly, the circles under his eyes somehow more apparent in the moons light.

"I apologize, Straw-Hatter. I've been... on edge, lately."

In that instant—Torao's eyes dark and mouth creased—Luffy knew that the reason Torao didn't like himself was on Dressrosa.

"It's S'okay, Torao. We'll kick Mingo's butt!"

Law's lips twitch again, but this time, he doesn't attempt to hide it.

"If you say so, Straw Hat."

* * *

It's in Dressrosa that Torao tells him _why_ he thinks that he has to defeat Mingo; _why_ he thinks that he has to die to do it; and one of the reasons _why_ he thinks that he deserves to die.

Torao doesn't necessarily say those things, but he says a name.

It's _stupid_ , it's _wrong_. Mingo's little brother didn't die so that Torao could waste his life or complete his goal, Mingo's little brother died for Torao 'cause he loved him and wanted him to live. Torao  _doesn't_ understand.

Well... he used to be that way, but Robin said that he talked with an old friend.

Torao still doesn't completely understand, 'cause stuff like that takes time to _really_ get, but he'll make sure that Torao does.

But Torao _is_ acting different.

Better, lighter, but _still_ thinking.

"Stop thinking, Torao!"

Law scowls, but allows the other captain's rubbery limbs to wrap around his waist.

Luffy snickers, bonking his head against Torao's hat—too hard, by the way Torao pushes him in the face afterwards.

"Usopp!"

Usopp makes a curious sound, various limbs wrapped in bandages while he limps to the parrot guy's ship. "Yeah?"

"Told'ja Torao has a heart!"

When Usopp groans, Law smirks and the edges of his eyes soften.

Torao's _actually_ smiling.

"You're ridiculous, Straw Hat."

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry if they're more mistakes than usual, or if sentences seem to run on or make no sense.
> 
> All these one-shots in this series are connected, they just happened at different times.
> 
> This wasn't originally intended to slightly diverge from canon, but it changed and I really liked this one-shot so I wasn't going to write a new theme just because it slightly diverged from canon.


End file.
